Cultural Cornucopia Night : French Art, Roman Pizza, Mexico City Beer (Feb 27)

February 27, 6:00 -9:30pm

Cost per person ~$22

RSVP to Daniel Balsam [email protected]   

This first cultural event on 2020 Club calendar boldly seeks to delight two of our five senses--sight and taste—in an immersive and interactive European visual and culinary arts experience, all within 3.5 hours. There are two focus questions for us to collaboratively explore as we first tour The Impressionist Pastel exhibition at the Art Institute and later decamp to Gabriele Bonci’s eponymous Roman-style pizzeria, Bonci’s, in the West Loop, followed by a stop into Cruz Blanca nano-brewery to sample Rick Bayless' Mexico City-inspired cerveza.

1. Focus Questions

Firstly, can we effectively rehash the way many of us learned how to appreciate French Impressionist style art within Art Humanities class and on visits to the MET Museum, but under very different conditions at the Art Institute, namely surrounded by immense throngs of visitors? Our intention on this visit is to imagine a way we can optimally and collaboratively examine a set of Impressionist paintings amidst thick crowds in the galleries of the Monet and Chicago Exhibition this Spring 2020 (see Link 3 below). Do we hire a docent, use an audio tour, (re-)read sections of Joshua Taylor’s Learning to Look, i.e. Art Hum handbook beforehand? (See Link 5 below). We will actually discuss and plan the logistics of this return visit while sampling some of the yummiest, most eclectic and visually stunning pizza in Chicagoland at Bonci.

Our second focus question will be: What are the salient characteristics of Rome-style pizza and how does it compare to Chicago, New York, and Naples-style pizza in terms of texture, flavor, and freshness? We’ll close out this sensorially rich evening around the corner to Cruz Blanca nano-brewery and sample Rick Bayless’ vibrantly flavored, Mexico City-inspired cerveza (See Link 4 below).

2. Event Itinerary

1. 6 PM - 6:15 PM : Enter through the Modern Wing, relinquish coats and bags at the coat check, meet up at the bar in the Museum Café on the ground floor.
2. 6:15 - 6:30 PM : Discuss the analytical framework that we will use to examine and appreciate the featured works within The Impressionist Pastel exhibition
3. 6:30- 6:40 PM : Relocate to Gallery 242
4. 6:40 – 7:40 PM : Collaboratively interrogate 6 impressionist era pastel paintings by Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Eva Gonzalès, and Berthe Morisot while reflecting upon spatial, acoustic, and visually distractive considerations.
5. 7:40 - 7:50 PM : Reclaim coats and bags at the coat check in the Modern Wing
6. 7:50 - 8:10 PM : Relocate via Lyft, Uber or CTA Green Line to Bonci in West Loop (we will collectively decide our transfer method)
7. 8:10 – 9:00 PM : Sample Bonci’s pizza, discuss our art appreciation experience, plan (return) visit to Monet and Chicago this Spring
8. 9:00 – 9:30 PM : (Optional) Walk around the corner to Cruz Blanca Brewery, wash down lingering pizza flavors with spritzy, fruity, craft beer brewed in-house.

 3. Cost

The cost composition of this triple header, pay-as-you-go (PAYG) event breaks out as follows:

1. Coat Check: $1 per item
2. Museum entrance: $0 (free for Illinois residents but proof of residence is required) (See Link 5 below)
3. Transfer to West Loop : ~$3 to $4, depending on what transport we use
4. Bonci Pizza: $10/pp
5. Cruz Blanca : $7

Total estimated per person event cost : ~$22

 4. Links

LINK 1 : https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9400/the-impressionist-pastel

LINK 2 : https://bonciusa.com/

LINK 3 : https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9036/monet-and-chicago

LINK 4 : https://www.cruzblanca.com/

LINK 5 : https://www.artic.edu/visit/frequently-asked-questions